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Hi there

I'm an international applicant from the UK.

I am going to apply to Stanford. I have great results on the UK system, but am unsure on how i will fare on the SAT and SATIIs :s

Here are my stats:
GCSE results: 11A*s, 1A

AS level results 4As
Predicted 4As for A level

what are my chances? Will my UK results be considered? Hopefully i will get around 1500 on the SAT1 and 740+ on SATIIs

Any help appreciated

p.s. I am not applying for financial aid

By Stanfordnualum (Stanfordnualum) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 03:31 pm: Edit

Your UK results will definitely be considered. Having all A*s on A-level is quite an achievement but that alone, however, won't get you in. The admission process here is kinda mythical at times and look random to outsiders. I came from Hong Kong and I know people with all A*s on O/A-level get rejected (not to mention the grading standard is more stringent there that a B is equivalent to an A in UK) but then occasionally someone with a mix of Bs and As can get in. The bottom line is to distinguish yourself from the crowd. For many at the boarderline, the essays will make or break the application.

You can read the following article about the class of 2008. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/2004/admissionsrelease.html

By Stanfordnualum (Stanfordnualum) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 03:41 pm: Edit

NO_Agression,

Just curious, how prestigious is Stanford to the people in UK when compared to Oxford/Cambridge? What makes you want to go to Stanford when you can go to O/C?

By No_Aggression (No_Aggression) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 04:40 pm: Edit

It is widely considered that Oxford and Cambridge are the best institutions in the world for undergraduate studies. This is mainly due to their tutoring system (1 on 1 sessions with a professor at least once a week).

However, in the UK, HYPS all have great reputations. But people here have the misconception that it is easy to get into HYPS if you are loaded with cash.

I would say Oxford, Cambridge, HYPS all fall into the same league Prestige wise here. Oxford being the oldest university in the western world probably gets a bit more prestige.

I am of course applying to Oxford (we can only apply to one of either Oxford or Cambridge!!). However, it is very difficult to get in, and I would like to have other options open, hence American applications

How would you rate Oxford's prestige and reputation in America?

By Stanfordnualum (Stanfordnualum) on Sunday, October 03, 2004 - 10:58 pm: Edit

Well-educated people, especially those who went to prestigious schools, would probably know Oxford/Cambridge as some of the best schools in the world but nothing specific about them. Only those who dig into the academia may have an idea what specific great programs Oxford/Cambridge offer. America is pretty big itself and it's the only superpower remaining; many people here are not very interested in what's outside. I've even met people in the west coast who don't know where Yale is, let alone anything about great universities overseas.